Introducing: Tanya Grassel-Krietlow on the MMIP Crisis
How do entire communities go unheard for generations? In this urgent and deeply personal episode of A.J. Chat, sits down with Tanya Grassel-Krietlow—educator, advocate, and longtime voice for Native justice—to unpack the deeper truths behind the Missing and Murdered Indigenous Persons (MMIP) crisis.
With over 30 years of experience through SDUIH and the South Dakota Network Against Family Violence and Sexual Assault, Tanya brings both policy expertise and lived experience to the conversation. Together, they explore how generational trauma, jurisdictional breakdowns, and systemic neglect continue to keep Indigenous cases unsolved—and what real justice, healing, and community empowerment could look like.
Topics include:
- Why Indigenous families are often overlooked or dismissed
- How historical trauma shapes modern missing persons cases
- What “culturally informed” investigations actually mean
- What allies and advocates can do to support Native communities
🛠️ Note: We experienced some unexpected technical delays getting this episode uploaded—thank you for your patience, and for sticking with us for one of our most meaningful conversations to date.
🎧 If you’re moved by this conversation, check out the same interview over on our sister podcast, The Last Known, where we spotlight real-life missing persons stories and examine the systems that fail them.
